Predatory Publishers: What They Are and How to Identify Them

Researchers have increased demands to publish and now are provided with many avenues of doing so, including open access. These broader factors have given rise to predatory publishers, or academic publishers that use questionable practices to solicit, review, and distribute original research.

Open Access & The Rise of Predatory Publishers. Open access publishers distribute their information with minimal or no restrictions. They generally operate by having the costs of publishing be covered by authors who pay a fee to have their research articles published. A drawback to this is the emergence of publishers that misuse the open access model. Instead of freely distributing information for the benefit of creating new knowledge, predatory publishers aim to make a profit off authors who are eager to pay for their research to be published.

The Problem. New and emerging research heavily relies on established knowledge to inform their studies, so the information it uses needs to be valid and accurate. Predatory publishers utilize questionable publishing conduct and ethicsin terms of soliciting research, their editorial processes, and utilizing peer review, all of which affect the quality of information being published. Later studies that are informed by such publications are liable to be based on flawed or inaccurate premises, and may lead to negative outcomes. An additional problem with predatory publishers is their journals and articles may be found in established indexes and databases as PubMed, ProQuest, and others while doing a literature review.

Possible Solutions. Critically appraise an article of interest in terms of content, organization, and writing conventions. Identify the authors, their affiliations, and credentials, which can often be found in an article. Review the article’s hypotheses, and evaluate the research design and analyses used in the study; see if they are appropriately used and accurate. Consult with handbooks or ask colleagues about unfamiliar aspects of the study. Check the references or works cited for completeness and if they consistently follow a given format. In addition, examine a publisher and journal title and determine whether or not they are established or credible.

A researcher will become cognizant of high impact journals, research organizations, and publishers as he or she reads more literature within their field. However, some journals with scholarly titles may still have the attributes of a predatory publication, so let the reader beware.

How can I determine if an article or publication I found is reputable?